


It Started With A Cat

by critterlady



Series: Misc Marvel Fics [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Dimensional travel to alternate reality, Gen, Halloween disaster, ROUS reference, that ends up happy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-03
Updated: 2017-04-03
Packaged: 2018-10-14 07:09:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10531446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/critterlady/pseuds/critterlady
Summary: Cover created by:shiniestqueen





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ozhawk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ozhawk/gifts).



> Cover created by: [shiniestqueen](http://archiveofourown.org/users/sparrowinsky/pseuds/shiniestqueen)

[](http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l238/genseeker/It%20Started%20With%20a%20Cat.jpg)

Samantha Graham was absolutely terrified right now. Yesterday had started so wonderfully but after lunch - hell in a handbasket seemed more appropriate. Waking up this morning to realize that it wasn’t a horrible dream, she had cried as she thought about the last twenty-four hours. She didn't think then it could get any worse, but it did.

~~~~

She had been looking forward to working Halloween night. Her job as a hostess for a small local restaurant was normally boring but on Halloween, the owner encouraged everyone out front to dress up. Samantha had her hair dyed a vivid purple before it was styled into soft waves that hung halfway down her back. Colored metal and glass beads were braided in randomly to give her the appearance of jewels and precious metals. Just before work, she had taken out her costume, a thin gauzy dress made of multiple layers of colored organza. The skirt was a riot of color, streamers of organza overlapping to give the illusion that you could see bare skin. Her heirloom black pearl jewelry completed the costume. Samantha turned to admire herself in the cheap door mirror before applying makeup. “What do you think, Jewel?”

Jewel meowed softly before beginning to purr as she rubbed against Samantha's legs. As Samantha gathered her backpack and coat, Jewel went to curl up in the sun from the front window.

Samantha had been so excited as she rode the bus to work. She hadn’t been at Caroline's Kitchen long but she had just been promoted to hostess that week. She'd miss Dotty, but was glad she had decided to retire after she won the lottery.

The bus stop was a block from work and Samantha noticed the streets seemed more crowded than usual. She turned the corner and absently noticed the parking lot was empty but she was in such a good mood it didn't register. Everything looked normal until she saw the chains through the wrought iron of the security doors, a heavy padlock hanging between the handles. An official looking notice was taped to the door. Samantha didn't understand most of the paper but **CLOSED** and **Internal Revenue Service** jumped out at her.

With no better ideas, Samantha snapped a picture of the notice before getting a close-up of the name and phone number at the bottom of the form. She walked slowly back to the bus stop, taking her time since her watch showed she had over an hour until the next bus. When she reached the pet store at the corner, she wandered inside. _Maybe I'll get Jewel something special._ She picked up some of the dried salmon Jewel loved and decided to look at harnesses. Jewel adapted so easily to the leash and collar that Samantha looked forward to walking with her. 

When she heard another customer start yelling at the clerk, she started towards the counter with the treats. She knew people often behaved differently when they realized other people were watching. Unfortunately, this irate customer didn't seem to care one bit about an audience as he yelled at the clerk. The customer threw something on the counter and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

“What a jerk!” Samantha exclaimed. “What was his problem?”

The clerk picked up the bag and dumped out a soft leather leash and harness set dyed a dark teal. “He ordered teal by mistake. His wife wanted him to get aquamarine. Apparently, the teal doesn't stand out enough on their prized spaniel.”

“I think the color is beautiful.”

“I told him he wouldn't get the fee for a custom color back and he’s not happy about that. I can't send it back either. Maybe I'll get lucky and can sell it anyways.” The clerk started to roll the leash up but stopped when Samantha held out her hand.

“May I see it?” The leash was soft and supple even though it was several pieces stitched together to make it sturdier. The harness was just as soft and Samantha realized it would be large enough to fit Jewel even once she reached full growth. “How much?” 

Samantha left the pet store to catch the bus, reflecting that only paying twenty dollars for such a good quality set balanced out the restaurant closure just a little. She picked up a newspaper before boarding the bus to scan the help wanted ads. She didn't have much left from the life insurance after paying for the burials of her parents and brother. She had just enough to cover two months of bills so needed a new job fast.

Her duplex was a three block walk from the nearest bus stop and normally she would have enjoyed the walk. Not today, today the air was filled with thick smoke and sirens rang out nearby. She had a sudden sinking feeling as she grew closer. Breaking into a run, she rounded the corner and came to a stop up the street from her home.

Samantha felt her breath leave her as she collapsed on the ground, staring in anguish at the burning husk of her home. Her neighbor sat on the ground beside a fire truck, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders as she cried. One cop was seated beside the neighbor, clipboard in his lap while another cop was seated beside an odd looking bag on the ground.

It was only when the bag began to move that Samantha noticed the pattern matched her sheets. She climbed to her feet, almost afraid to hope that she hadn't lost Jewel. As she approached the makeshift bag, she could see a small tube going inside and hear a hissing noise. “Please,” she managed to choke out. “My cat?” Her voice broke as the cop smiled. 

“Pretty little spotted gold kitten?” The officer took Samantha's hand and pulled her down gently to sit beside the bag. “Neighbor told the firemen about it, found it curled up on the bed. It was pretty spooked by them so they just wrapped the sheet around it. Still a bit scared and wants to hide so we left it alone.”

“Is she hurt?” Samantha was reaching for the sheet as she asked.

“They didn't see any injuries, oxygen was just a precaution. We will need to hold it at animal control until you can show proof of ownership.”

Samantha smiled weakly as she dug into her backpack for her wallet. She pulled out her ID, along with Jewel’s registration. “Here's my ID and Jewel’s health certificate, it includes her microchip information.”

The cop looked over the papers Samantha provided. “Then I just need your signature to release her to you. Any idea where you'll be going now? If not, the motel over on Calloway keeps a couple of rooms for emergency housing. Just talk to the Red Cross volunteer to get a form so you can keep your cat with you.”

Samantha was barely paying attention, she was too occupied with reassuring herself that Jewel was unharmed and fitting her with the harness. Jewel purred contentedly as Samantha adjusted the harness, then she perched on Samantha's shoulder as she spoke with the volunteer. An hour later, Samantha was curling up under clean sheets with Jewel, her costume discarded on a chair. She didn’t wake again until morning.

~~~~

When she could cry no more, Samantha showered, smiling at Jewel’s antics as she played in the water. Once she was clean, she hated to put her costume back on but it was literally all she had to wear. The desk clerk had directed her to a nearby thrift store last night so Samantha planned to stop by the ATM so she could go shopping.

Now dressed, she slung her backpack over one shoulder and locked the door behind her. It was just beginning to drizzle but the gas station next door provided not only breakfast but had umbrellas for sale as well.

With Jewel perched safely on her shoulder, Samantha waited on the ATM to dispense her cash before turning around. She never saw the bolt of lightning that struck a tree behind her as she was thrown forward to land in a puddle of water.

Stunned, Samantha lay still, at least until Jewel began to growl, something she had never done before. That was how she ended up face down in a large puddle, too terrified to move as she stared at the largest rat she had ever seen. Jewel was puffed up protectively, growling ferociously even though she barely weighed five pounds. She danced at the end of the leash, not caring this rat was several hundred times larger than her normal prey. She was a cat and that was a rat, even if something smelled off about it and it was as large as a person.

When a man dressed in black came around the ATM and opened fire on the rat, Samantha couldn’t hold back a scream. The rat shuddered as something made contact, then it fell in a heap on the ground, right in front of her. Samantha scrambled away from the enormous teeth and turned to face the man.

“What the fuck?” she screamed hysterically. “You could have hit Jewel shooting at that thing.” She began to tremble in shock as the full impact of what just happened hit her. 

Brock Rumlow smiled. After all the shit assignments with weird creatures, it was a rat from another reality that he'd needed to shoot. He wanted to say something, see if she was the one, but he had orders. Without a word, he discretely shot the unknown woman with his ICER, catching her limp body before she could hit the ground. “Rumlow to retrieval teams - I have a giant rat, possible domestic feline and possible adult female.”

He was still holding the woman when the team arrived, led by Phil Coulson. He knew Coulson would ignore standard protocol once he explained. While he waited for Jemma to run a quick scan on the woman, Fitz was coaxing the scared kitten closer. Even unconscious, the woman held loosely to the leash on the cat’s harness.

“She’s human but I am getting some strange preliminary DNA readings. I'm confident she is from an alternate reality, Sir.” Jemma motioned for a stretcher. “We can take her to the Atlanta center for evaluation.”

Brock interrupted. “She goes to the tower. Psyche protocol.”

Coulson was not the type to be surprised by anything these days so he just nodded. “Is it confirmed?”

“No Sir. But she did say my words before I iced her. I haven't spoken to her yet.”

“We’ll take good care of her. Daisy can sit with her until she wakes up and Jemma can handle the evaluations. I'm assuming the cat is hers?”

“Yes Sir. Unless I miss my guess, the cat’s name is Jewel.”

Jemma was supervising the containment of the rat but she turned when Fitz brought Jewel over, purring softly in his arms. Jewel was scared but she could tell she was safe. She allowed Jemma to take her as Brock began to carry Samantha towards the quinjet.

~~~~

Samantha awoke with a pounding headache and a familiar warmth by her side. Blinking slowly, she started to sit up but froze when a hand touched hers. The last thing she remembered was a man and a giant rat.

“Take it easy, you may be dizzy for a few minutes.” 

Samantha focused on the friendly sounding female voice as it addressed another person. “Jemma, she's waking up.”

“Where am I?” She finally managed to think long enough to get her thoughts organized. 

Two young women came into view as she sat up. One wore a skirt and blouse with a sweater while the other wore jeans and a tank top and both had dark hair worn back in a ponytail.

“Hi, I'm Daisy.” That came from the woman in jeans. She indicated the other woman with a smile. “This is Doctor Jemma Simmons. You were brought here for observation after your encounter earlier.”

Samantha studied her surroundings carefully, thinking to herself it didn't look like any hospital she had ever seen. “This isn't a hospital. Where am I and what the hell is going on?”

Before either woman could respond, a neatly dressed man knocked on the door. “FRIDAY let me know she was awake, I'll handle this.”

He crossed the room to take a seat beside the bed. “Miss Graham, my name is Phil Coulson. The explanation for what happened to you is a long story but to make it very short, you fell through a hole into our reality from your own. Luckily, your reality seems to very closely match ours. Your DNA is close enough that you should be able to survive just fine here. Unfortunately, we have no way to send you back to your own reality.”

Samantha felt her anxiety building but Jewel pushed against her chest, purring in reassurance. Samantha stroked her as she forced herself to consider this wasn't a crazy dream. _What have I really lost? I still have Jewel._ With a rush, she remembered her jewelry. “What happened to my jewelry? It's been in my family over a hundred years.”

“Miss Potts has it secured in a safe. Your dress is being cleaned but we will provide you clothing once we know what you prefer. We want to help make this transition easier on you. That includes counseling - educational, personal and career-related as needed.”

Samantha let out a bitter laugh. “I lost everything before I ended up here. My family died two months ago in a car accident. Yesterday, I went to work to find my employer shut down by the IRS. And when I got back home, my duplex was on fire. All that matters is I have Jewel and I didn't lose my jewelry. No one will miss me there, I was so busy working I had no time to make friends.”

“Daisy can show you around after Jemma completes a medical workup. We want to make sure you don't have any medical related issues from the transfer or the ICER.” Samantha just nodded as Mr. Coulson stood and exited the room.

~~~~

Daisy was aware of the Psyche protocol status as she escorted Samantha around the tower that afternoon. Samantha had been shocked to discover words on the back of her right calf, cursing angrily as first Daisy and then Jemma tried to explain about soulbonds. As she listened, she calmed down enough to ask questions about the bonds.

Daisy was showing her around the gym, pointing out a few soul-bonded pairs and even a triad of three women. Samantha was beginning to understand that the words only meant you had a person you could always trust to be there for you. The fact that soulmates could be just friends made her begin to appreciate the concept even more.

She asked about the man that rescued her and Daisy explained that Commander Rumlow had been released from quarantine and was probably in debriefing but that she would most likely see him at dinner.

~~~~

Samantha sorted through the clothes that had been delivered to her. She tried not to think about how many strangers she might be meeting tonight. At least in this reality, Jewel could accompany her everywhere. She finally chose jeans and a dark teal shirt that complimented Jewel’s harness. After explaining to Daisy about her anxiety and how Jewel helped her cope, she had discovered that cats were universally recognized as service animals. Samantha fastened the harness back on Jewel, adjusting the “service animal” patches that now sat on each side. “My beautiful girl. We’re going to meet a lot of new people. I'm so glad I didn't lose you too.” Jewel just purred before headbutting Samantha's hand. A knock on the door let her know Daisy and Jemma had arrived. She slipped Jewel’s leash over her wrist and opened the door, relieved the waiting was over.

Samantha had expected dinner to be more like a cafeteria when she was given the tour earlier. Instead, she had ended up on what was clearly a private floor in an atmosphere that felt almost like a party. People wandered around, plates in hand as they chatted with each other. Several couches and chairs were occupied by more people and Samantha had to force herself to follow Daisy and Jemma. Jewel pressed close to her legs, reminding Samantha she wasn’t alone in these new surroundings. Samantha set Jewel on her shoulder where her soft purring provided a welcome undertone to the voices around her.

After getting plates at the buffet, she was introduced to Miss Potts and promised the return of her pearls whenever she wanted. Samantha was secretly relieved she could keep them in the safe for now. Miss Potts promised her a “new arrival” packet would be ready within a couple of days. 

“What is she talking about?” Samantha asked Daisy as they walked away.

“It’s standard procedure - a new identity, complete with all documentation, is being prepared for you. Tomorrow we’ll sit down with FRIDAY to get your real history. We match it with this reality as closely as possible.” 

“I'm not sure I understand.”

“Well, for example, your medical tests earlier indicate you broke your right arm at some point. That would have required a hospital visit. We take the information you provide us about that injury - when and how it happened, where you were treated - and create records to support the story in this reality.” Jemma offered a smile as she explained.

Samantha thought she was beginning to understand but she wanted to be sure. “So if I give you the name of my schools, you see if they exist here and fake records for me? What if they don't exist?”

“Then we find something that fits the rest of the profile and make it work. FRIDAY can screen for keywords to give us possible backgrounds. You make the final decisions when we need to fake something.” 

“Does this happen often? I mean, you seem to have it all figured out.” 

“Not really, the largest occurrence was a family of four about ten years ago. You are only the fourth occurrence since then. But we also deal with human-passing aliens on a regular basis. That’s why the protocol was developed, we just adapted it for cross-reality transfers.” Jemma wandered off to join Fitz as Daisy led Samantha towards another group of people.

Samantha was skeptical when she was introduced to Thor and Loki as aliens. Daisy promised to introduce her to some of the other aliens next time they dropped by, remarking that most people weren't believers in aliens until they met Rocket and Groot.

Daisy steered them towards the buffet to refill their plates when Samantha recognized the man who saved her earlier that day. Jewel nudged Samantha's neck as they approached him and another man.

“Jack, Brock, this is _Miss_ Samantha Graham, our new transfer. Jack is also a transfer, although he was actually born here. His mom crossed about a month before he was born. And you met Commander Rumlow this morning.” Daisy leaned into Jack for a kiss. “Jack's my soulmate.”

Brock noticed the way Daisy had emphasized Miss during the introduction. _She's single, hope she didn't leave someone behind_.

Samantha offered her hand to Brock. “I didn't get a chance to thank you earlier for saving me from that rat thing.”

Brock smiled as he took her hand. “My pleasure but your cat was the real hero. I was just doing my job.”

Samantha dropped her plate in surprise and turned on Daisy. “You told him!?”

Daisy just smiled. “No, but I did recognize his writing today. And he told Coulson you said his words when he found you. That's why we brought you here instead of the nearest base for evaluation.”

Brock tried to reassure Samantha. “I know all this is strange and probably scary. All I'm asking is that you give us a chance to get to know each other. I won't ask for more than you are willing to give.”

~~~~

Brock never grew tired of hearing Samantha tell their story. Even decades later, he listened as she told the story to their youngest grandchild. She stroked the newest Jewel, a descendant of the kitten who crossed realities with her. Her eyes met his and he smiled as she ended the story as she always did. “And it all started with a cat.”

~~~~

Dedicated to Ozhawk. Without your encouragement, I would never have shared my smut, much less published it. I will forever be grateful I stumbled upon your stories. And the chatroom is a godsend, a place to vent and hash out ideas and meet new friends. May your bunnies remain abundant.

**Author's Note:**

> Continues in [And Continued With A Kiss](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/gifts_for_ozhawk/works/10732950)


End file.
